TURKEY

Imprisoned

January 1
Sedat Hayta, Devrimci Emek, IMPRISONED
A former editor for the leftist weekly Devrimci Emek, Hayta was arrested and charged with aiding an outlawed organization under Article 169 of the Penal Code. He is currently in Bayrampasa Prison in Istanbul.
January 30
Erhan Il, Devrimci Emek, IMPRISONED
Il, a reporter for the leftist magazine Devrimci Emek, was arrested and charged with being a member of an outlawed organization under Article 168 of the Penal Code. He is being held in Bayrampasa Prison.
February 19
Ozgur Oktem, Devrimci Emek, IMPRISONED
Oktem, a reporter for the leftist magazine Devrimci Emek, was arrested and charged with being a member of an outlawed organization under Article 168 of the Penal Code. He is being held in Bayrampasa Prison in Istanbul.
March 13
Hamza Yalcin, Odak, IMPRISONED
Yalcin, a reporter with the left-wing monthly Odak, was detained during a police raid on Odak's office in Istanbul. Five other journalists with Odak who were detained with Yalcin were released on March 21. Yalcin was formally arrested and charged with belonging to an illegal organization. He is being held in Bayrampasa Prison in Istanbul.
March 15
Aslihan Yucesan, Atilim, IMPRISONED
Ibrahim Cicek, Atilim, IMPRISONED
Haci Orman, Atilim, IMPRISONED
Aysel Cicek, Atilim, IMPRISONED
Sabahat Karahan, Atilim, IMPRISONED
Zeynel Yesil, Atilim, IMPRISONED
Dogan Sahin, Atilim, IMPRISONED
Yucesan, owner of the weekly Atilim, and at least six reporters and editors from the weekly were taken into police custody. Among the detained journalists were Cicek, Orman, Cicek, Karahan, Yesil, and Sahin. Police initially denied that they had detained the journalists; then, after three days, acknowledged the fact. Atilla Cinar, chief of the counter-terrorism department of the Istanbul police, accused the journalists of membership in the Marxist Leninist Communist Party, an urban guerrilla organization thought to be responsible for several bombings and robberies in Istanbul. On March 29, Ibrahim Cicek, Sahin and Orman were transferred to Bayrampasa Prison. They have been charged with membership in an illegal organization, a violation of Article 168 of the Penal Code. The reporter Karahan and Atilim's owner, Yucesan, were released.
March 16
Ibrahim Cicek, Atilim, IMPRISONED
Cicek, a former editor in chief of the leftist weekly Atilim, was detained during a police raid on the paper's headquarters in Istanbul. He has been charged with being a member of an outlawed organization under Article 168 of the Penal Code and is being held in Bayrampasa Prison.
March 18
Hatice Onaran, Devrimci Cozum, IMPRISONED
Onaran, formerly the editor legally responsible for the left-wing monthly Devrimci Cozum was arrested and detained after her sentence to six years and ten months in prison was upheld. She was convicted of publishing terrorist propaganda under Article 7 of the Anti-Terror Law. The charges cited six articles published in Devrimci Cozum. She is currently being held in Gebze Prison, outside Istanbul.
March 21
Serpil Korkmaz, Demokrasi, IMPRISONED
Korkmaz, a reporter with the pro-Kurdish daily Demokrasi, was detained by police in Istanbul. She was released on April 2 without charge.
May 3
Veli Aydin, Ozgur Gelecek, IMPRISONED
Aydin, a reporter for the leftist magazine Ozgur Gelecek, was arrested and has been charged with membership in an illegal organization under Article 168 of the Penal Code. He is currently in Sagmalcilar Prison.
May 7
Emin Konar, Ozgur Halk, IMPRISONED
A reporter for the pro-Kurdish monthly magazine Ozgur Halk, Konar was detained during a police raid on the magazine's office in Elazig and later arrested and charged under Article 169 of the Penal Code (aiding an outlawed organization). He was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and is currently in Elbistan Hapas Prison.
May 12
Mustafa Demirdag, Ozgur Gelecek, IMPRISONED
Demirdag, an editor for the leftist magazine Ozgur Gelecek, was arrested and later tried and convicted under the Anti-Terror Law. He is serving a three-year and five-month sentence in Sakarya prison.
May 13
Bulent Balci, Kurtulus, IMPRISONED
A former editor of the leftist weekly Kurtulus, Balci was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison under Article 168 of the Penal Code (being a member of an outlawed organization). He is in Umraniye Prison.
June 25
Yildiz Gemicioglu, Kurtulus, IMPRISONED
Gemicioglu, a former Adana bureau chief of the leftist weekly Kurtulus, was arrested by authorities and remains in Konya Prison without charge.
June 25
Altan Koman, Atilim, IMPRISONED
Koman, a reporter for the Iskenderun bureau of Atilim, was arrested and charged with being a member of an outlawed organization under Article 168 of the Penal Code. He is currently in Malatya Prison.
June 28
Nurcan Turgut, Demokrasi, IMPRISONED
Turgut, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish daily Demokrasi, was detained by police during a raid on the newspaper's office in Elazig. She was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison under Article 169 of the Penal Code (aiding an outlawed organization). Turgut is serving her sentence in Nevsehir Prison.
August
Fatih Yesilbag, Ozgur Gundem, IMPRISONED
A former editor in chief of the pro-Kurdish daily Ozgur Gundem, Yesilbag was arrested and charged under numerous articles of the penal code and Anti-Terror Law. He is currently being held in Bursa-Keles Prison.
August
Gennue Kilic, Ozgur Ulke, IMPRISONED
Kilic, a former editor of the now-defunct pro-Kurdish daily Ozgur Ulke, was charged and convicted under Article 169 of the penal code (aiding an outlawed organization). She also faces additional charges under the penal code and the Anti-Terror Law for articles published in the newspaper during her tenure.
November
Beyazit Ekiz, Kizilbayrak, IMPRISONED
Duygu Tuna, Kizilbayrak, IMPRISONED
Ekiz and Tuna, reporters for the Gebze bureau of the leftist weekly Kizilbayrak, were detained during a police raid on the magazine's office. Both women were formally arrested and charged with being members of an outlawed organization under Article 168 of the penal code. They are being held in Gebze Prison.
November
Esra Yildirim, Kurtulus, IMPRISONED
Yildirim, a Trabzon correspondent for the leftist weekly Kurtulus, was charged with aiding an outlawed organization under Article 169 of the penal code and is currently being held in Ankara Prison.
November 17
Cuma Akin, OzgurHalk, IMPRISONED
Akin, the Batman bureau chief for the pro-Kurdish monthly magazine OzgurHalk, was detained after a police raid on the magazine's Diyarbakir office. He is being held in Diyarbakir Prison, awaiting official charge.
November 17
Ozgur Cavusoglu, Atilim, IMPRISONED
A reporter working at the Izmir bureau of Atilim, Cavusoglu was arrested at his home and charged with being a member of an outlawed organization under Article 168 of the penal code. He is being held in Buca Prison.
November 19
Muteber Yildirim, Ozgur Ulke, IMPRISONED
Yildirim, a reporter for the now-defunct pro-Kurdish daily Ozgur Ulke, was convicted under Article 312 of the penal code for an article he wrote for the newspaper. He is currently being held in Bayrampasa Prison.
November 20
Adil Harmanci, Demokrasi, IMPRISONED
Harmanci, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish daily Demokrasi, was detained at his home in Van by police along with his wife. Although his wife was released, Harmanci remains in Van Prison without charge.
1996
Tekin Aygun, Kurtulus, IMPRISONED
Aygun, a reporter for the leftist weekly Kurtulus, was arrested and remains in Umraniye Prison. The circumstances of his arrest are unclear.
1996
Songül Çinar, Kurtulus, IMPRISONED
Çinar, a reporter for the leftist weekly Kurtulus, was arrested and charged with being a member of an outlawed organization under Article 168 of the penal code. She is currently in Ankara Prison.
1996
Adil Kurt, Newroz, IMPRISONED
Kurt, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish magazine Newroz, was arrested in early 1996 and remains incarcerated in Gaziantep Prison. The circumstances of his imprisonment are not clear.
1996
Ozden Ozbay, Ozgur Uuml;lke, IMPRISONED
Ozbay, the former editor of the now-defunct pro-Kurdish OzgurÜlke, was arrested and charged with violating Article 312 of the Penal Code and Articles 6,7, and 8 of the Anti-Terror Law. He has yet to be sentenced and is currently in Gebze Prison.
1996
Hafize Sayran, Kurtulus, IMPRISONED
Sayran, the Zonguldak bureau chief for the leftist weekly Kurtulus, was arrested and is being held in Ankara Prison. It is unclear what charges, if any, were filed.

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